Wow, I definitely felt the pressure to update with all of my reviewers getting depressed. You guys deserve some answers, so hopefully this chapter will cover a lot of that.

Here's a big fat chapter for ya ^_^

- Robin-

Everything seemed to be going in slow-motion as Robin peeled her eyelids open. There was a feeling that a lot of time had passed since she was last conscious and it made her uncomfortable. The sun was setting, she could tell that much, though most of the sky was hidden behind wide-spread limbs. There was a cloud of smoke rising behind them, reflecting the yellow sunlight to make it look a lot less daunting than what it represented.

It was quiet. That was the first thing she noted; the only sound reaching her ears being the wind causing the tree-branches and leaves to rub against each other to create a soothing rustle above her. Turning her head, she saw that she was definitely not in the underground prison and not even at the base. Smiling, she realized that Luffy had found a way to get them out of the tunnel after she had passed out. She had feared how he would respond to their deaths, knowing how much he loved his crewmates.

With that thought in mind, she rolled her head to the side to see that she was surrounded by people despite how quiet it was. Something in the air made her uneasy.

She spotted Zoro and Sanji lying only a few feet away, both heavily bandaged but she could tell by the rise and fall of their chests that they were alive. Two down, four more to go.

Happy with herself when she managed to raise herself onto her elbows, she continued to look around, smiling when she saw Chopper sleeping beside her. Gently, she placed a hand on his back, waiting patiently as the deer slowly came back to consciousness. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and she instantly regretted arousing him.

It took him a second to realize who had awoken him, but as soon as he discovered it was the historian he brightened up considerably.

"ROBIN! Thank God you're awake!" The little reindeer leapt onto her, causing her to fall back, but she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him. Despite the faith she had in Luffy to get them out of the base, she still found herself cherishing her little friend's hug more than she ever had before. The funny thing was that she wondered for a moment if she had in fact died in the tunnel and that heaven was just going back to the way things were, being with the crewmates she had come to love.

"What happened?" she asked, smiling as she lifted the reindeer away from her.

Chopper hesitated, though he knew he would have to be the one tell the historian of the terrible circumstances since the others were still reeling from the news about their captain. He had known about it the longest and had already told the story twice, so hopefully the third time he would be able to get through it without crying.

Robin frowned at her crewmate's hesitation. Something had happened; something terrible.

Swallowing hard, Chopper began to relay what had taken place just a few hours earlier, not making eye-contact with his crewmate out of fear that he would see the change in her expression and lose his composure.

He told the story from his point-of-view. Told of how he had been taking care of the marines and Nami when he heard Luffy yell and rushed to get to his captain. He told her of Luffy's plan and how he got there a few minutes too late. Through it all he didn't look up at her, determined to make it through the story quickly to get it over with.

When he felt his emotions bubble over for a moment as he explained why Luffy had needed to destroy the volcano's dome, he quickly jumped from the subject to Sky being the one holding off the seastone.

He figured Robin would be annoyed with him not getting to the point about their captain, but for his own sake he discounted her wishes and explained how Sky had been able to control seastone.

"Apparently Sky lived here a long time ago before the island was a base for seastone studies. There was a volcanic eruption back then as well and he got caught up in it, being swept down the mountain in the magma."

Robin shivered at the thought. She had been unconscious when they were swamped by the acidic magma, but the after-effects still lingered, leaving a burning tingling across her skin.

"He wound up at the foot of the mountain, stuck in the seastone prism for days until Canaan found him. Our best guess is that seastone has a ghost of its own and that it resided here in this island. I believe that the ghost bonded with Sky while he was stuck in the seastone magma without him even knowing and apparently he just discovered his abilities during a fight right before he got to you guys and held the prism off of you as long as he could."

"Chopper" Robin said calmly but firmly "what happened to Luffy?"

He knew he'd have to get to that, but the rabbit-trail had done its job and kept him from breaking down. Daring to look up at her, he started to explain what had happened after the volcano exploded, remembering for himself how hellish those past few hours had been.

- Two Hours Earlier -

Chopper was shaken awake by a gentle hand, wondering when he had fallen asleep. He was beside Robin and Usopp, then realized he was on Nami's lap and that she had been the one waking him.

Her presence had done wonders to his broken heart.

Blinking tiredly, he looked up to see five figures walking their way, carrying none other than his last three crewmates. Leaping out of Nami's arms he rushed to the small band of marines, wishing his navigator was in good enough shape to come with him, but feeling the situation too urgent to carry her over. He needed both hands free for whatever medical needs needed to be met.

Paul, Jason and Canaan were the only ones who joined him in front of the men, the rest of the marines being smart enough to give them breathing room.

Immediately Chopper began to get weak and dizzy from the overwhelming stench of the seastone emitting from his three crewmates. They must have all been dosed in the stuff, and unlike Usopp and Robin, they hadn't had a super-vacuum to hose it off of them.

Alvida came stumbling up a few seconds later, having returned with Orrin from the base a few minutes after Chopper and Paul had. Apparently they had gotten creative with the materials around the base, Orrin having created a make-shift boat, had slowly paddled his way over the gradually hardening magma while Alvida lay unconscious in the hull from the overwhelming aroma the lava produced.

"The swordsman and the blond were stable when we found them" one of the marines explained "and they seem to still be holding their own… which is really impressive considering the number of injuries they're sporting and the seastone that seeped into those injuries."

Chopper was stunned. How the heck did Zoro and Sanji end up in this mess?

His attention, however, was transfixed on his captain who was being lowered with tender care to the ground. The fact that the marine's hadn't given any feedback on the raven-haired boy's condition confirmed his horrifying suspicions and he dropped to his knees beside his captain, almost passing out from the stench of seastone that seeped from his body.

"H-he's not breathing. I'll start CPR" the reindeer stated, denial all he had left to cling to.

"His lungs are full of that seastone crap" one of the marines stated "CPR won't do him any good if the air won't go anywhere."

Chopper wanted to be mad at the man who was speaking. He knew the man was right and only had their best interest at heart, but he needed to have some kind of hope or process of medical aid to give.

"Then let's get the magma out" Canaan said matter-of-factly.

Everyone looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Sky can control this stuff so maybe he can help get it out of Luffy's system before it hardens."

"You do know the boy's dead right?" one of the men stated hesitantly.

His precautions proved to be pointless when Chopper's fist smashed into his face. The man went skidding back a few feet, landing on his butt with surprise.

"Don't say that" the reindeer panted. He felt a bit guilty for punching a man who had just gone through so much trouble to get his crewmates back to him, but he wouldn't stand for anyone saying that his captain was dead… no matter how logical it was.

The man wiped his mouth but didn't retort, staying on the ground but leaning up with his elbows resting on his knees, watching the rest of the group from his safe distance.

"Paul, go get Sky" Canaan ordered. "Do what you have too to wake him up."

Nodding, the younger marine rushed off, a few minutes later returning with a barely conscious Sky hanging from his shoulder. The grey-haired boy looked so tired and weak, but Chopper once again ignored the guilt of asking him for help and pointed at his captain.

"Luffy swallowed seastone after the eruption. If you can, would you get it out? I can guide you through it."

Sky didn't speak, but he nodded, pushing away from Paul and falling to the side of Luffy's lifeless body. He raised his eyes to Chopper for instructions, his one good eye glazed over.

Quickly the doctor began pointing out where the seastone would be and where the marine would be directing the magma out of the boy's throat.

Sky placed his hands on Luffy's chest where his lungs were and did as instructed: very carefully directing the seastone up his throat and out of his mouth they had left agape. Little by little he slowly removed almost a gallon of magma before the lungs were finally clear and Chopper could only sit and let his gut clench when the odd stomach-pumping didn't even evoke a natural gag-reflex from his captain.

As soon as the deed was done, Chopper began CPR, thanking Sky with his eyes as the marine was taken back to the medical quarters. The reindeer grew frustrated when he continued to be weakened by the dominating smell of seastone coming from the boy.

Looking over Luffy's body, he noted that there were still splotches of seastone all over his skin and clothes, but then his sensitive nose picked up another scent; one he knew well. He was so sick of crying and he could hardly believe he had any tears left, but there he went again, letting them fall like rivers down his face as he realized that his captain had soiled himself.

"Can you get me some rags and clean water?" he asked one of the marines. The others had taken Zoro and Sanji off to be cared for by Dr. Kale and now only Alvida, Jason and Canaan remained. He figured that was because the other men didn't want to be around when he finally acknowledged that Luffy was dead.

They would have had to wait a long time.

He continued the CPR, listening in when Alvida began to speak.

"Seastone or not, no-one can survive that long without oxygen" she said thoughtfully.

Chopper continued to breathe for his captain but paused in the middle to give the woman a death-glare.

"I'll punch you to if you say anything like that again-" he took a moment to breath into Luffy's lungs. "Isn't it possible that the seastone just slowed down his system? Or maybe it made it so his body didn't need oxygen because it came to a halt? Robin survived."

Alvida frowned, "Robin is a different story and you know it. She didn't inhale to seastone for one thing… and… she hasn't been pumped full of the stuff for the last few days. Luffy's body was already suffering the effects of the gas before the eruption, which couldn't have helped his chances of survival… however…"

Chopper went to pumping rhythmically into the boy's chest, but looked up with anticipation.

"However what?" he asked before going down and breathing for his captain again.

"… perhaps you're right. Maybe the seastone did slow down his system enough so that the lack of oxygen didn't matter… It's not out of the question… But if that was indeed the case, we don't know how long it will be before the seastone leaves his system; if it does at all. It could be hours. Hours of CPR on the unlikely chance that Luffy is simply slowed down and not completely dead."

- Present- Robin and Chopper -

Robin took the news like a pro, not breaking down or punching things like the other two crewmates Chopper had given the news to. It was one of her gifts to keep everything bottled up inside, though this time is felt like a bomb had gone off in her soul. She felt her eyes watering but took a deep breath to suppress whatever physical reaction she was having to her inward grief.

He had sacrificed himself for them.

After all of her dedication to him and her happiness with having loyalty to someone that was genuine and selfless, the one risk in it all had come true. Now she had to face the concept of losing someone she had finally managed to love unconditionally. It was the one risk when she got emotionally attached. Maybe she was a curse upon whomever she crewed with…

No…

I can't think like that; not when there's a chance Luffy will survive.

"So what happened? Why aren't you doing CPR anymore?" She kept her voice calm but it shook a bit at the end.

"Nami took over after me, and about an hour ago Usopp woke up…" The reindeer's eyes looked distant for a moment. "He didn't take the news as well as you did… but he's doing the CPR now."

Robin's eyes widened, "you've been doing CPR for the past few hours?"

"I know it sounds crazy" the doctor mumbled, scuffing his hooves into the ground "but it's Luffy…" he paused again, his lip trembling again but no tears forming in his large eyes. "A-Alvida says that if he was going to wake up it would have happened by now… That he should be at least breathing on his own…"

It was quiet again. Both crewmates overwhelmed by the reindeer's last statement. The sound of rustling leaves was herd overhead once again as the warm air swept by them causing Robin's hair to whip around her face, but she made no attempt to remove it, numb to everything other than the thought of living without Luffy.

It was Chopper's voice that brought her back to reality as he turned and looked her directly in the eye.

"But we're not giving up on him... " he said, a strength in his voice that had been lacking earlier.

"…not ever."

- Usopp-

It was hard. It was so hard to keep breathing for Luffy. Every breath forced him to acknowledge the lifelessness of his friend. Each time he filled the boy's lungs up with his own air, he was reminded that the only reason he could breathe was that Luffy had given his life for him. It was a sick trade. His lungs were working at the exchange of Luffy's.

He felt like he should have been embarrassed to do CPR on someone for so long. It had been about an hour and he knew that logic said that no amount of forcing his captain's lungs to work would bring him back, but the action was his way of clinging to denial. He didn't want to look crazy, noticing that none of the marines around them looked in his direction, but this was the last thing he could do for Luffy. It wasn't so much about keeping the boy breathing anymore, as instead it was him believing that his captain would come back to them.

Nami was nearby, deeply sleeping after doing CPR despite the terrible shape she was in. His embarrassment for his actions faded when he remembered that every one of his crewmates would also take up his job. They all would hold on to that reckless hope in Alvida's theory.

At that thought, he heard footsteps coming his way, only looking up from his job when they kneeled beside him. Raising his head, he met Robin's eyes and in that short moment they shared every emotion that had been twisting in their hearts; the guilt of being responsible for their captain's death and the disappointment of failure subtly expressing itself through a span of no more than two seconds.

After resting a hand on the raven-haired boy's chest, Robin lifted her eyes, seeing Nami nearby, as well as Zoro and Sanji (who were still unconscious but left close-by just in case).

What surprised her was that Orrin and Alvida were also only a few feet away, sleeping side-by-side under a tree. Perhaps they hadn't given up yet either.

Without a word, Robin took over CPR while Chopper led Usopp to a place he could rest.

- Canaan and Paul -

The news of Sky's condition had shocked all of the men. Many had known he had gone up against the two assassin commanders, but those had expected him to be dead, while the others couldn't imagine how he had received so many extensive injuries.

Now, Canaan and Paul sat with their friend, allowing happiness to make its way into their broken spirits. The three of them had survived and were once again together.

Despite how much they wanted to be over with the Straw Hat crew to support them, they knew the crew needed their space. So they waited at a distance, praying for the boy to pull through somehow.

"Canaan" Paul started, breaking the silence "how can they keep doing that? Don't they realize that if it doesn't work, - which I might add make's all the logical sense in the world-, that it will be more painful to accept when he doesn't rise from the dead? Hope just makes it hurt more when life ends up shooting you in the face with reality."

Canaan looked over at the younger marine, his golden eyes dulled a bit from exhaustion but still focused and stern.

"That's because you guys have two very different views on life. I know that you've suffered a lot before you got here, just as Sky did. You've given hope a chance and it let you down and so you've set up defenses so you never get disappointed again. But hope isn't reserved just for people who have pleasant lives, and it's not reserved for those who defy logic."

Paul didn't speak but kept his large blue eyes fixed on the elite skeptically.

"Listen, you believe that knowing something bad is going to happen makes it easier to accept, which may be true; but what they're showing is faith. It's not just believing that Luffy will pull through, but it's taking action and taking the risk of greater loss and greater disappointment."

"Sounds stupid."

"Maybe it is, but they aren't doing it for their own sake. Sure it would be easier to just accept their loss without having to struggle through it twice, but they have faith in their captain for the sake of loyalty and will continue to look like fools until they can't go on any more. From what I've seen from that crew, love will outweigh pride every time."

- 3 hours later -

Sanji had woken up a few minutes after Robin and, though he was barely able to lift himself from his lying position, he immediately volunteered to take on the CPR job. He had been overwhelmed with relief when he discovered that they had managed to get the seastone out of Luffy's lungs. Chopper made a guess as to how he knew about the substance their captain had swallowed, especially after seeing the bruising that had formed on the boy's chest.

The cook lasted an hour before he asked for help, exhausted from the day's activities and his wounds. Despite his weakness however, he soon found his way to where the marines here holding their rations, requesting ingredients to cook a large meal. When asked why, he simply said that his captain would be hungry when he woke up.

Awkwardly, the men gave him what they had, not knowing exactly how to respond to the blond's denial.

The crew had each had a turn, and as the night fell, it was back to Usopp to continue the CPR.

Twenty-five minutes into it Luffy woke up.

TBC…

Annnddd, now you see my true nature. Though, you will also see that life's not all hugs and rainbows for the crew in the next chapter (I guess that's kind of a spoiler but oh well.)

Thank you all soo much for sticking with me! Your reviews have made these last few chapters much more exciting to write than the first few XD

Icecreambeans- wow! thanks for the quick review ^_^ I would say not to cry Lindsay, but that is indeed my purpose in writing such angsty things XD Do enjoy the rest of the fic!

Recordatio001- Indeed, that is the big question. I do believe it has been answered ;) I really hope you came back to read the rest, cause if you stopped now you'd be left with the impression that I truly killed off my beloved Luffy. I hope the update gave you some enlightenment :) thanks for the constant support, pushing me to keep going

WezL- Way to hold on to hope WezL! Just like the SH crew in this chapter ^_^ Thank you so much for the encouragment!

caring16- lol, thank you so much! I hope you continue to find enjoyment in it as it comes to a close, though (*spoiler* there's still a lot of angst coming)

XFangHeartX- Wish granted ^_^ thanks for reviewing!

darkness34- gaaaahhh! (I'm a her by the way) Indeed, it would be so depressing if the guilt train got started... but it turns out I'm a sucker for happy endings... (or am I? *waggles eyebrows*) Awwwww, well, if I feel this fic was successful enough, I'll probably start a new one when it's done ^_^

Neko11- I'm glad I was able to freak you out :) thank you so much for reviewing! and I'm so glad you enjoyed Zoro's scene. I always appreciate your reviews Neko, short or long ^_^

Llaelien- and this one is even longer ^_^ WOOHOO! You like Canaan! It means so much when people like my my original characters, so thank you! Way to hold on for Luffy's revival. Thank you so much for the reviews! Greetings :) - ps- may I ask you what your original language is? just curous

Kitty-bandit- lol! I love your reaction XD I would totally do the same thing if I didn't already know what was going to happen (I'm very protective of my Luffy) awwwww, I'm glad the fic is dramatic enough to invoke tears ^_^ means it's doing its job. And yes, very few people really look good in straw hats, Luffy being one of them. and lol, I really am a sucker for reviews. Once I get them I really want to please the people who'd spend time to encourage me. Maybe you did figure out what was going (you saw through my tricksiness *grins evily*) but I actually have a bit more in store for our beloved crew, so sit tight and enjoy the ride ^_^

EALM528- YAY! i love big reactions so woot for tachycardia! dawww ^_^ and as to how I planned it- I started the fic with the major rescue scene in mind (not really that much forethought), but for the last 25-30 chapter's I've really worked to organize the scenes in sequential order, outlining where people are and when they do what on a notepad. These last few chapters in particular. You have no idea how much it means that you would actually notice T_T *sniffles* thank you. I did remember the Drum Island scene when I wrote Zoro's scene (maybe that's what motivated it... I'm a super fan of OP so maybe I'm unconsciously using Oda's ideas... Oh oh! Like with Robin cloning herself! I wrote that before the 2yr time skip!) Really? :D you changed your to-do list for meee? and... and I ruled out checking DA? *is super moved* Thank you so much!

Seriously, Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! A few more chapters to go!